Two runway shows may have added spice to India’s nascent fashion industry, but models and designers feel the Lakme and Wills fashion weeks are a world apart. But there are others who can’t tell the difference between the two.

“The Lakme event was very well organised. Lakme programmes were right on time. The business was great too,” said model Indrani Das Gupta, who participated in the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai last week and is attending the Wills Lifestyle as a spectator.

But most of the designers felt that the Lakme event was not even close to the one sponsored by Wills Lifestyle. “There is no comparison between the two. This event is totally exciting,” said Rohit Gandhi, a designer.

“It’s not the sponsor who affects a show, it is the organiser. The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is important, our goals and ideas are simple. We bring together as many designers as we can. Old and established designers share the ramp with the new and upcoming. This event is fashion industry centric. And we have seen through the years that this industry is growing,” said designer Nikhil. Unlike individual couture fashion shows, which showcase creations of a designer, fashion weeks are organised twice a year and are more trade-oriented. The absence of glamour (read Bollywood stars) in the Wills event left many in the audience disappointed.

International buyers like Harrods of London and Hanin Trading of Saudi Arabia too were not very upbeat about the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week though they hoped for something different and exciting later during the week.

(www.cybernoon.com)